Pickleball is all the rage these days, with seemingly everyone and their parents trying out the hip new sport.
Tapping into this rise in popularity, many dedicated pickleball courts have mushroomed across the country.
One upcoming one is Pickle Park, set to make its debut in the heart of PJ with seven fully-covered courts, shower facilities, and an open events space.
But you may be wondering, what makes it so special?
Meet the team
Behind Pickle Park is actually Kai Zen Au, the Managing Director of Kenny Hills Hospitality Group.
That explains why Pickle Park is partnering with the adjacent restaurant and cafe, Flour, Fire & Stone, which is an F&B brand under the group.
“The main idea to start Pickle Park came from a growing personal passion for the sport and seeing how the sport as a whole is blossoming in the city,” he shared.
On top of that, the concept also complements the existing restaurant and cafe, so there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate a lot in terms of events, marketing, and cross collaborations that will drive both entities’ sales up.
To that end, Kai Zen emphasised that Pickle Park is entirely its own entity, with no inherent ties to the Kenny Hills Hospitality Group.
“But perhaps in the future more locations could be opened that are continued to be supported by the F&B drive of Kenny Hills Hospitality Group,” he explained.
The managing director shared that the Kenny Hills Hospitality Group staff will be the first to be able to test and receive their corporate rates and loyalty mechanisms, before they’re released to the public.
Building a whole ecosystem
But aside from the founder’s expertise and business acumen, Pickle Park intends to stand out from the competition through its design-led approach.
“We have invested a lot into landscape to make the club feel more like a park that is nature-oriented and encourages lingering and lounging around through the placement of communal benches and an open-air social space,” Kai Zen shared.
Plus, there will be an outdoor bar that will serve draught beer, cocktails, and wines til 1AM every day. With that, the team envisions the space as not just somewhere to come and play pickleball, but a space to gather with friends, socialise, and stay on long after the game has ended.
The restaurant next door also makes it conducive to host events, corporate functions, and other group activities. This is doubly true as it can create bespoke menus based on occasion and budget of the clients so each event is unique from the other.
“Our positioning is to be as approachable to the pickleball community as possible, and of course not to have it feel intimidating for beginners to come and try the sport,” Kai Zen said.
To achieve that, they will be organising a lot of weekly social activities such as Pizza & Beer Nights, Coffee & Croissant Mornings, as well as Ladies’ Nights. “This is why collaborating with Flour, Fire & Stone is so important,” the founder reminded.
They also endeavour to organise weekly open play sessions for people to come and play with other strangers of a similar level, and private or group coaching programmess for anyone who wants to improve their game.
At the time of writing, the tentative price points will be as such:
- Peak hours (7AM to 11AM; 5PM to 1AM): RM70
- Off-peak hours (11AM to 5PM): RM55
- Special centre court: RM80 for peak hours, RM65 for non-peak hours
To cater to different lifestyles and schedules, the club will be open daily from 7AM to 1AM.
Passion, then profits
Even though Pickle Park will exist as a separate institution to the F&B group, I must say it’s impressive to see how Kenny Hills Hospitality Group has grown over the years with Kai Zen at its helm.
From one bakery cafe, the company now encompasses brands like Amazonas, My Humble Bowl, Nourish, and more.
With Kai Zen leading the effort, we certainly anticipate to see Pickle Park being a go-to name in the pickleball industry locally. But before rushing into rapid expansion, Pickle Park will first solidify itself within the community.
“This started as more of a passion-led business that of course has to make money along the way,” he shared about the business. “We will take it one step at a time and not overextend into expansion as the whole sport is still very new.”
Kai Zen also shared that they do have one more location in the pipeline for next year, but for now, that’s being kept under wraps.
Featured Image Credit: Pickle Park
